Skip to main content

tv   MSNBC Live  MSNBC  December 15, 2012 11:00am-12:00pm PST

11:00 am
serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. for thos...this...ions of doing this... ...and this, dancing in their heads... ...we have these. home depot gift cards. give the gift of doing, in-store or online. majority of those that died today were children. beautiful little kids between
11:01 am
the ages of 5 and 10 years old. they have their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. >> picking up the pieces and trying to make sense of the completely senseless. good afternoon. i'm craig melvin. all the latest on the massacre as we con to learn more about the tragedy. >> it is awful. excuse me. i mean -- these are 20 people that we -- a week before christmas that just lost their job, you know. how do you -- how do you live with that? >> certain sly a travesty. it is a scene that no one should have to encounter. but, again, our hearts are broken for the families of these victims. >> right now there are new details this hour on the massacre of the school in
11:02 am
newtown, connecticut. 20 children and six adults were killed and the lone gunman took his own life. i understand we are learn something new details about the gunman, adam lanza, and his family. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good afternoon. we are starting to put together some of the pieces of the p s te puz i will. adam lanza was home schooled. he has been described by students who -- when he did go to school, classmates of him, as very intelligent and as we have often heard in these cases, also described as loner. someone that didn't have a lot of friends. went out of his way not to be noticed, of course, he couldn't have changed that in a more devastating way than he did by going into that elementary school. his aunt, who has not seen him since he was 3 years old, spoke just within the last hour to local reporters in north carolina. here is what she had to say about adam.
11:03 am
>> he was different. he was quiet. nice kid. good kid. he was challenging the family in that house. never in trouble with the law. never in trouble with anything. >> she also talked a little bit about adam's mother who, of course, was the first victim in this massacre. we have a picture of her. this is the first time we have been able to see her. the aunt described her as something of a survivalist. she said she worried about economic collapse and had been stockpiling. several people had told us previously that she did have a collection of guns that she knew how to use them and enjoyed them. both of her sons knew how to shoot. and we learned that adam lanza three days before this terrible tragedy went to a local store, tried to buy a gun, was denied, and it was his own mother's guns that he used to kill her and the
11:04 am
children and others he killed at the school yesterday. >> are we hearing my more about the connection between nancy lanza and sandy hook elementary? there has been confusion about what precisely her job was at that school. >> reporter: yes. originally she was reported to be a teacher. and when they checked the school records, she is not on as a full-time teacher. that has been confirmed by the district. some people having suggested that she was involved with the school either as a substitute teacher or as a volunteer. we had hoped to learn more information at a briefing from the superintendent. we were expecting it at noon eastern time. here's not happened. and -- there is no expectation at this point perhaps that it will happen. they have been very careful about the type of information that they have been giving out. it has been coming out slowly, as you know, in the early hours of this. there was some bad information that got out so they are being very careful. we have gotten no further updates about when we might hear
11:05 am
from officials this afternoon. >> chris jansing, anchor of msnbc's "jansing & company" in newtown, connecticut. when the briefing happens, if it happens, we will bring it to you live. thanks so much. i want on bring in our justice correspondent, pete williams. he has been dig into the background of the 20-year-old gunman and events that may have led up to the shooting rampage yesterday. what more can you tell us about the gunman's activities leading up to the shooting? >> we are looking at a number of possibilities here. one is that he may have ride to buy a gun at a gun store in connecticut on tuesday. what we are told is he tried to buy a gun but that the gun store wouldn't sell it to him because he wouldn't abide by the background check or waiting period. now, the other thing that authorities are looking at is that they have been told that on the day before the shooting, there was some kind of altercation at the school. that someone came in and got in an argument with four adults
11:06 am
there. and that three of those power were killed in the shooting and the question is was that person who came into that altercation adam lanza the man who authorities say carried out the shooting? the way it is described to me now is that that's a lead they are investigating, that's one possibility. that's not confirmed that, in fact, it is something that he did, the trouble, of course, is that because of the great tragedy there, it is very difficult to get any information about what happened there. there is apparently no surveillance video. so that's something that they are analyzing now. but it does seem clear that the weapons that he had that he took to the school were purchased by his mother and that she possessed legally. the mother's aunt has been speaking out. she lives in chicago and she has said that the mother came from a childhood where guns were part of life. and that the mother living alone wanted to have guns for her own protecti protection. these are the weapons that he took to the school, they say,
11:07 am
yesterday to carry out his shooting attack. >> do we know at this point whether all of the guns were used yesterday? >> well, you know, this is a very strange thing because we keep getting different accounts of precisely how many guns he had with him and how many he took into the school. it is surprising that the position about this keeps shifting. but it does seem clear that he -- at least had would handguns he took with him into the school. and that he also had would rifles, one of which he -- most consistent account we get is that he left one of them in the trunk and took one of them into the school. whether he -- which of those weapons he fired inside, we don't know. the state police said this morning that all of the firearms he carried with him were found near his body after he died of apparently shooting himself. >> how much ammunition at this point -- >> i have not heard -- not heard
11:08 am
anything other than that he was heavily armed but how many rounds he had or how many rounds he fired, we don't know. another interesting question is whether he had high capacity magazines for any of these weapons. that we don't know as well. >> pete, there's been some reporting that lanza had some sort of personality disorder. has law enforcement said anything about some sort of personality disorder and if they have, have they been specific? >> yes. both his friends or i should say his former classmates, and neighbors, and people law enforcement who have been interviewing family members, say he suffered a form of autism. perhaps a mild form of autism. and that that was a problem for him, obviously, as it would be anyone, that he was withdrawn and shy, very bright. did well with school work but that was -- did not have friends and did not have people that he was close to. was socially awkward and withdrawn. >> how did he get into the school yesterday? >> well, all of the police will
11:09 am
say at this point is he forced his way in. exactly what he did, it isn't clear. earlier today the police were saying perhaps he shot one of the windows out near the door that you -- ordinarily have to be buzzed into the school to get in through that door. that was their initial thought but then they also think, well, maybe some of the police had to shoot their way in to get into the school after the shooting started. so i think they are not 100% certain how he got in. in any event they say he was not buzzed in. he was not let in, he forced his way in. >> nbc's pete williams from d.c. pete, thank you, sir. always appreciate it. >> you bet. >> as we are learning more new details about the suspected gunman. 20-year-old adam lanza. one person that knew him in high school says he was brilliant. but he was also socially awkward. and remote. law enforcement officials say we heard him that he had some sort of personality disorder, perhaps autism. joined now by criminologist james fox who is an msnbc analyst. mr. fox, gals to have you.
11:10 am
learning new details here about lanza. based on what you -- based on what you read so far about the gunman, what's your sense of the picture that is starting to shape up? >> well, there's lots of characteristics here very common with mass murderers. particularly the social isolation. they are individuals that don't have lots of close friends nearby to help them put reality check in what they are thinking and what they are feeling. they don't have -- don't have a support system. when they get to the point where they are angry enough to kill and angry enough to take their own life, they just don't have others around to help them get lou the hard times. >> what are the warning signs? i mean, because if you -- if you know someone who is perhaps like this, i mean, sometimes it is very difficult to discern whether someone is just shy or whether they are on the verge of a break like this. >> well, these warning signs only become crystal clear in the aftermath. that's the difficulty. we really can't identify and predict who will be the next mass murderer. sure we know that this -- certain characteristics,
11:11 am
particularly the social isolation, particularly someone that blames others for his problems. you know, there's lots of americans who are unhappy, who are depressed. even have personality disorders. but they don't commit mass murder. we cannot predict it. >> autism itself, is autism -- is it classified as a personality disorder. >> no, no, it isn't. it is also -- not correlated with -- following crimes. whether or not he did have you a autism in any degree, it doesn't matter here. it may be more coincidence. it may not matter. it is not the cause. what really is the cause here, awkwardness. the fact that he -- didn't blend in, didn't feel comfortable. didn't have lots of friends and was isolated. and obviously extremely unhappy. and angry at the world. and why kill these children? well, you know, if you wanted to get back at society, maybe --
11:12 am
also his mother. in the most profound way, hurt society where it will hurt the most. well, here's -- the children. those most cherished members of society. >> criminologist james fox. thank you so much. do appreciate it. we have other breaking news to pass along to you right now. just got word a short time ago from the state department secretary of state hillary clinton faint. she fell and suffered a congress cushion several days ago. we are told mrs. clinton is back at home and resting. the secretary of state had been suffering from some sort of stomach virus. she became dehydrated. more on this story later in the show. up next, congressman who is a victim of gun violence himself speaks out about the massacre in connecticut. also, coming up later, how a president tries to comfort a country in pain. >> while nothing can take the place after lost child or loved one, all of us can extend hand to those in need to remind them
11:13 am
we are there for them. that we are praying for them. and that the love they felt for those they lost endures not just in their own memories but also in their communities, and in their country. [ male announcer ] this is bob, a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem, that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce the risk of an afib-related stroke. there is limited data on how these drugs compare
11:14 am
when warfarin is well managed. no routine blood monitoring means bob can spend his extra time however he likes. new zealand! xarelto® is just one pill a day, taken with the evening meal. and with no dietary restrictions, bob can eat the healthy foods he likes. do not stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. stopping may increase your risk of having a stroke. get medical help right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding, like unusual bruising or tingling. you may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take xarelto® with aspirin products, nsaids or blood thinners. talk to your doctor before taking xarelto® if you currently have abnormal bleeding. xarelto® can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and rarely may lead to death. you are likely to bruise more easily on xarelto®, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. tell your doctors you are taking xarelto® before any planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver
11:15 am
or bleeding problems. ready to change your routine? ask your doctor about once-a-day xarelto®. for more information including cost support options, call 1-888-xarelto or visit goxarelto.com.
11:16 am
as a country we have been through this too many times. whether it is an elementary school in newtown or a shopping mall in oregon or a temple in wisconsin or a movie theater in aurora or a street corner in chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children. >> live look there in newtown, connecticut, where folks are gathered for a news conference
11:17 am
that was supposed to start about two hours ago. at the news conference we are expecting to hear the names of the victims. the officials there tell us that they are going to officially release the names of all of the victims from yesterday's mass shooting at sandy hook elementary school. when that happens we will bring it to you live. expecting to hear from the governor of connecticut at some point over the next few hours as well. governor malloy. going to be addressing folks in connecticut. that was president obama just a few moments ago talking about the tragedy. that was a weekly radio address. he used his weekly radio address. mr. obama said the nation grieves for those killed in newtown and their families. he also said that it is time to take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker there at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. and, kristin, the phrase there, meaningful action. lots of folks today wondering what the president means by those words.
11:18 am
any indication at this point? >> reporter: of course we will have to wait for the coming days and weeks to learn what he specifically meant but it does natural we might see some renewed push important stiffer gun control laws. if you look back at this president's past record, his -- policy on this issue, he has said that he supports reinstating the ban on assault weapons. in the days after the shooting in aurora, colorado, he talked about this issue and he said that we need to have stiffer background checks to make sure that these weapons stay out of the hands of people who are mentally unstable and also talked about the need for preventative measures to make sure folks who are suffering from mental disabilities are getting the type of help and support that they need. but mostly to make sure that these weapons stay out of their hands. so those are some of the types of policies that he has floated in the past. will we see him renew some of those policies? that remains to be seen. this is, of course, an
11:19 am
incredibly divisive issue. and this administration hasn't done a whole low in terms of pushing stiffer gun control. ing in fact the brady campaign gave the president an "f" for his handling of the issue. that was back in 2010. i can tell you, though, craig, the debate really started again after yesterday's tragic events. we saw a vigil for him outside of the white house. many of the people who attended that vigil were calling on president obama to lead the charge, to try to enact stiffer gun control. and then a lot of folks logging on to the white house website. reiterating that same message. calling for stiffer gun control. but as you know there is a very strong opposition to this. the nra, a lot of conservatives, in congress, who say that that's not the answer. we need to do a better job of enforcing the laws that are already on the books. president obama certainly making a pretty strong statement in his remarks yesterday and again in hi radio address today.
11:20 am
>> switching gears now. a few moments ago we reported hillary clinton faint ad pew days ago. she is home now. expected to be okay. how will her illness affect the timing of the announcement of the next secretary of state? >> reporter: i don't know that it will have an impact on that announcement. what i can tell you, craig, is that just to put night context, secretary of state clinton recently to cancel an overseas trip because she got a stomach bug. because of that bug, according to officials at the state department, she became dehydrated several day ace go and did faint and did suffer a concussion. but she is at home and is resting and she is being monitored by doctors and she is expected to return to work sometime soon. >> nbc's kristen welker from the white house for us on this saturday afternoon. thank you so much. we will come back to you later as well. among the lawmakers calling for new gun control measures in the wake of this tragic shootin isht
11:21 am
has disappointingly become common in the wake of these horrific events for many to avoid serious discussions about taking substantive steps to prevent these shootings in the future. off enwith the excuse that now is not the time. well, if not now, when? congressman, langevin, good afternoon to you. >> good afternoon. >> first of all, let me get your initial thoughts on this tragic event. share your thoughts with us. >> first of all, my heart goes out to all of the families who have lost loved ones, especially those that lost children in thisrage i did at sandy hook elementary school. my heart breaks as does the nation for all of the -- victims and their families and what they are going through. unimaginable, terrible, terrible situation. it was pure evil that visited
11:22 am
that school that day. and my heart goes out to the whole community and the families. >> we should note -- i didn't mean to cut you off. i apologize. go asaid yeah. i just want to say that as a nation, we need to take a look at how we are dealing with mental health issues. looking at how we can more aggressively identify and try to prevent mental health situations from getting to this point. we are -- where these kind of acts of violence are carried out. i don't know exactly what the answer is. we still don't know the cause or what caused -- this horrific crime to be carried out. but clearly, there is something that caused this individual to come unglued and -- unhinged and he carried out this act of violence. and -- it seems across the country over the last several years, we are seeing more and more of this type of violence
11:23 am
being carried out. it is inexcusable and unacceptable. we need to look at both mental health issues and -- perhaps working with the united states secret service who are clearly experts at identifying let situations and how to prevent them. we also -- i believe we immediate to look at our gun control laws. now -- >> let me -- >> i support the second amendment. >> let me and you had a. we should note for our audience here that you were injured at the age of 16 in an accidental shooting while you were volunteering with the local police department. you mentioned there -- you mentioned mental health and gun control. at this particular point would you say it is more important for our lawmakers to focus on restricting gun rights or is it more important to figure out how to get some folks more and better access to mental health care? >> well, i would say it is -- wouldfold. certainly the mental health
11:24 am
issues that threat assessment and working perhaps -- using the models of the secret service and how they do threat assessments and applying that to situations involving mental illness so we can identify those individuals that might be prone to this type of an action. i don't want to ever see this happen in my community, of course. and -- then we also need to look at our gun control laws. now, i don't know that we fully know what weapons were used in this case. assault weapons, i believe, are weapons of war and they have no business on our streets anymore an an army tank has business on our streets. i support the second amendment and people's trits bear arms. certainly having an assault weapons ban does not infringe on anyone's rights to bear arms. background checks, individuals that shouldn't have these weapons are prevented from getting them. >> congressman james langevin, thank you for your time today.
11:25 am
>> thank you. >> for more insight i would like to bring in the national political reporter for politico. hello to both of you this afternoon. james, let's start with your publication. front page, headline here, connecticut school shooting tragedy ups gun control pressure on obama. tell me about politico's reporting here. >> the election is over, craig. and a lot of democrats and liberals willing to give president obama a pass after the aurora shooting last year, after the shooting at the sikh temple, are not willing to stand on the sidelines any longer and if president obama doesn't go ahead and take serious steps to follow through on what he said friday, you are going hear a growing chorus from the left that will hold his feet to the fire and not let him kind of silently move on. on the other hand, you have kind of folks in the white house who don't want to get distracted by a gun debate they may not be able to win when big ticket
11:26 am
items like immigration are at the top of their agenda. >> molly, let's talk about this growing chorus james just mentioned because there are a lot of folks that are suspicious that this -- this course is not going to be sustained. you know, aurora. we talked about it briefly. you know. we had the mall shooting earlier this week outside of portland. gabby giffords, lot of folks suspected after that, there would be some sort of legislation introduced. there was not. this time around, is it going to be different politically because the victims, the -- lion share of the victims are between the ages of 5 and 10? >> this is the second deadliest shooting in u.s. history. because that this has happened so often you have a lot of anger from people, why does this not change? we have this conversation for five minutes and then it dies. this may not be a fight they can win. a lot of the political calculus has not changed.
11:27 am
but i do think you hear a lot more anger ask a lot mo determination and you have people like mike bloomberg really saying that they are going to push baemd. they are not going to let him get away with paying lip service as he has done in the past and as he has done so far. >> the national rifle association. we have been talking about them in passing the last 25 minutes. how powerful are they? >> well, craig, i don't think that the nra in and of itself is as powerful as everyone and especially him want people to think. this debate is ultimately going to be decided by a few dozen moderate republicans from suburban districts. if this is a galvanizing moment -- because these are children and this crime is just -- so horrendous, there are people who are willing to break with the nra and it is not just
11:28 am
republicans. nra is powerful because they do have endorsements and support of a lot of moderate democrats or democrats who might even be liberal but are moderate on the gun issue because of -- they represent places like nevada or ohio. so that the key will be those people who aren't necessarily be holden to the nra, because republicans control the house, who are willing to break with the nra, and there are some but the question is how many and is that number going to grow in the wake of this horrendous tragedy. >> thanks to both of you at this time. appreciate your time. >> thanks. coming up, more details emerging about the gunman. more details are emerging about the victims. we are learning a great more deal about the days leading up to the second largest mass shooting in this country's history. for those with visions of doing this... ...this... ...and this, dancing in their heads...
11:29 am
...we have these. home depot gift cards. give the gift of doing, in-store or online. up high! ok. don't you have any usefull apps on that thing? who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on today's incredibly low interest rates... right from your iphone or android smartphone.
11:30 am
one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪
11:31 am
[ male announcer ] marie callender's puts everything you've grown to love about sunday dinner into each of her pot pies. tender white meat chicken and vegetables in a crust made from scratch. marie callender's. it's time to savor. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth!
11:32 am
it is about the kids. our teachers take care of little kids. and it is unbelievable. >> you can't do anything to immediately help them or protect them. that is a powerless and terrifying experience. >> excuse me. i mean -- these are 20 people a week before christmas that just lost their job, yy, you know, ho you live with that. >> a flood of tears and heartbreak coming at a time that seems inadequate. the saddest place in america everywhere from parents to children to civic leaders trying to come to grip was the trauma and human toll of friday's
11:33 am
massacre at sandy hook elementary school. we will have much more, including a live report from newtown, connecticut, right after this break. and we can save you 10% on ground shipping over the ups store.
11:34 am
look this isn't my first christmas. these deals all seem great at the time... but later... [ shirt ] merry christmas, everybody! not so much. ho ho ho! this isn't that kind of deal. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office.
11:35 am
11:36 am
just some of the heart wrenching images from the tragic scene. here's the latest that shooting in newtown, connecticut. all of the victims have been identified. their bodies have been remove prosecuted the sandy hook elementary school and taken to the medical examiner's office. police at this point are asking everyone to respect the privacy of those families. we are also learning a little bit more about the suspected gunman. 20-year-old adam lanza, he
11:37 am
forced his way into the school. he was not voluntarily let into the elementary school yesterday morning. we are also learning lanza may have been there the day before and gotten into some sort of altercation with four staff members. three of the four staff members were killed. the fourth was not at school yesterday. that fourth person is being questioned by investigatooinves. lanza shot and killed his own mother friday. drove her car to the school and shot and killed 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself. at this point the motive is still not clear but authorities say that they have turned up some very good evidence that will lopefully be able to paint a complete picture as to how and why that shooting happened yesterday. nbc's pete williams is reporting four handguns were found inside the school and a rifle in the trunk of a car. the weapons were registered to lanza's mother, nancy lanza, who worked at the school in some
11:38 am
capacity. police have also questioned the suspect 'older brother, ryan. police believe he was not in any way involved in the shooting. at first he was identified as the shooter because the suspect was actually carrying his brother's i.d. ryan lanza reportedly told the authorities that his brother had a history of mental problems and also told police that he hadn't spoken to him in two years. meanwhile, memorial services and vigils like this one are being held at churches and other places of worship today. nbc's station affiliate wvit interviewed the school superintendent. you saw her in tears a few moments ago talking about the heroism during yesterday's shooting. let's take a listen. >> the principal of the school was running toward the shooter in order to protect her students. as was the shoot psychologist. one of the teachers helped people get out of a window.
11:39 am
incredible things that people did. i got a message one of the teachers pushed students into the kiln room and was locked in that room and remained there until the police let them out. so the teachers were really, really focused on saving their students. >> gosh. our country today continuing to mourn the deaths of those 20 small children as the impact of yesterday's -- continues to sink in today. i want to bring in chris jansing. she has been in newtown yesterday. according to "the washington post," six of the welfare deadliest mass shootings in this country's history had happened since 2007. i will start with a simple question here. why are these shootings taking even more victims it seems? >> well, they are taking more victims, number one, because we see shooters using semiautomatic
11:40 am
weapons. most of the time you look at the mass shootings, probably in the last 15 to 30 years, it is either semiautomatic pistols, which normally have about 15, 16 rounds or high capacity. they could have 20 or they use assault rifles which, again, have 2035 rounds. so the shooters are going in and they are better armed and have high capacity weapons and they are obviously shooting to kill. in this case, the most innocent of those what do some of the shooters -- what are some of the traits they all have in common? >> well, you know, recently -- first of all, i want to be very quick to say we can't put everybody in the same pot. we can't lump them all together. we can't say they are all sociopaths, psychopaths. we can't say they all have mental health problems because every person is different. that said and done. when we see the recent shootings, we see this copycat effect. we see individuals dressing in black. we see them wearing masks.
11:41 am
we see them carrying high-capacity weapons, assault weapons. it is almost like they are playing a role in some terrible video game that they may have played but now they are doing it with real bullets. and the most innocent people we have, children who are supposed to be learning their a, b, cs, we hear d.o.a. as their bodies are taken to the hospital one at a time. >> i want to bring in chris jansing who is in newtown. chris, you have, unfortunately, covered several stories like this one. i know you were in colorado, you have been at the scene of a number of these shootings. talk to me about the mood there among the journalists and reporters who are on the ground there. is it as it is here, is there this cloud of gloom as well that looms there? >> reporter: i think the thing that struck everyone is -- what is so different about this,
11:42 am
craig, is the ages of those 20 young victims that most of these shootings took place in a kindergarten classroom. those identifications haven't been made. we are obviously talking about 5 and 6-year-olds. that's probably why we have seen so much international media as well. and also, the chilling accuracy of the shooting. i was thinking about columbine which was the first mass shooting i went to. 13 people were killed there. but 24 survived. in this case, of course, 28 people were killed, including the shooter. and there is only one survivor. you know, i also am -- i have to say that i see a lot of similarities as well. obviously the horror and heartbreak, all of them share that. when i was coming into town, i saw the christmas lights, you couldn't help but think how many trees in this town have christmas presents under them that will never be opened. but also, the stories of heroism, we remember, from aurora, colorado.
11:43 am
people throwing themselves on their loved ones to protect them and some of them died doing that. you just heard from the superintendent how heroic the superintendent -- the principal was, how heroic the school psychologist was. and i think that the other thing that we see is communities coming together. we have seen it in the religious observances just today, there was a service at the episcopal church and synagogue as well tonight. they are going to continue with the live nativity scene at the catholic church but they are dedicating it to the victims. it is always remarkable to me to see that amidst all of the terrible darkness that comes out of an incident like this that there is light in the way that people come together and help each other in times of almost unspeakable tragedy, craig. >> well said, my friend. chris jansing in newtown, connecticut. thank you so much. nbc news analyst clint van zandt, thank you for your perspective. health both be back with us throughout the afternoon. after something like this, what
11:44 am
do you say? we are going to talk to a child psychologist about how to talk to your child about this tragedy. you ever notice that some people just have a knack
11:45 am
11:46 am
for giving the perfect gift? they put real thought into it. and find just... the right...thing. how do they do that? more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. pick up a ridgid jobmax multi-tool starter kit and get a free head attachment. c'mon, michael! get in the game! [ male announcer ] don't have the hops for hoops with your buddies? lost your appetite for romance? and your mood is on its way down. you might not just be getting older.
11:47 am
you might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. millions of men, forty-five or older, may have low t. so talk to your doctor about low t. hey, michael! [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. hi! how are you? [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt.com. [ laughs ] hey! we are told that connecticut police are going to be releasing the identities of all of the victims in newtown, connecticut, at some point in the very near future. they are asking everyone to respect the privacy of those families. each family in fact, has been assigned a state trooper or an officer to communicate with directly and also the trooper is assigned to help maintain the privacy that i just mentioned as well. shooting lasted minutes but the grief and the trauma that the community of newtown is experiencing will undoubtedly last for many years to come. what can you be done to help the
11:48 am
young children and families involved in yesterday's horrific shootings? i'm joined by clinical psychologist robin goodman. robin, let me start with the obvious question. how can a parent or what should parents be saying to their children at home? >> well, there's a few things you want to keep in mind. one is kids may likely have seen information about all of this. so you want to be able to be honest and open with them according to what is appropriate to their age. number one. you also want to be reassuring to them about what you are doing to take care of them. and you also want to just talk about what is going to continue in their life. normal lives, reassured, get back to routine. and then you want to instead of talk, you really want to listen. and what are their questions, what do they know? what are they saying? >> should parents be pushing their children at the school to talk about those -- this or should they allow the child to open up on their own?
11:49 am
>> i think you can do a combination of things. and it is not necessarily one conversation. what you can do is say i -- you know, there has been a lot of stuff in the muss these days about the -- what happened in the school in connecticut, did you hear anything? see what you get back first from that child. so that you know where to go with the conversation. and then see, are they drawing pictures about it? are they talking about it? are you overhearing a conversation with their friends and jump in to put that cone of comfort around them? >> cone of comfort. i like that. i want to go back to something that was brought up here by someone else a few moments ago. there are reports adam lanza, the gunman, had aspergers. talk to bus that. >> we always have to be very careful about trying to look for that one cause and effect when something so horrific happens. because mental illness and mental health problems, there is
11:50 am
a huge range. it is not as if everyone that has this kind of a diagnosis, if, in fact, he even had something like that, is violent. we don't want people to be scared of people like that. we don't want parents to be afraid for their children. so i think we have to be very careful about thinking about what you can do to help your child use their natural resiliency to recover and how you can present as a very calming force for your child. >> robin, thank you so much. had has been a very insightful conversation. i appreciate your time. >> sure. until a few years ago the words school security meant something very different. today what can be done to keep our kids safe at school? elementary schools, even. stay with us. more on that after this. [ man ] ring ring... progresso
11:51 am
11:52 am
this reduced sodium soup says it may help lower cholesterol, how does it work? you just have to eat it as part of your heart healthy diet. step 1. eat the soup. all those veggies and beans, that's what may help lower your cholesterol and -- well that's easy [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.
11:53 am
school boards all over this
11:54 am
country are addressing safety procedures after yesterday's tragic shooting at an elementary school in newtown, connecticut. apparently the new towne school district just install ad new safety policy to prevent shootings and other situations, including locking all doors and all visitors being required to ring the doorbell. as we learned, lanza used force to entering the school yesterday. from all accounts teachers at sandy hook elementary followed emergency procedures according to plan. locking the classroom doors, drawing shades, telling children to hide in places where the gunman would not see them. joining me now is kirsten todd couldn't a school safety expert. good afternoon to you. here's the thing with this particular case. police say that the gunman forced his way into the school. there doesn't sound like the's a whole lot an elementary school can do to prevent violence like this. was there anything that could have been done? >> i think what we learned is
11:55 am
that a lot was done. that there were evacuation procedures, the teachers knew how to lock down. they knew how to evacuation wait and they knew how to take these young children to places of safety. and i think what we actually did see is probably preventing something that could have been a lot worse. one of the keys to this into school security is to run exercises and training and ensure that everybody involved in these situations are educated and educated on how to respond in a crisis. and certainly when you are dealing with children who are young, it is up to the teachers, faculty and staff to have that education and knowledge. and by all accounts, with the heroism we saw with the teachers, principal, and the school psychologist, we saw a lot of prepareflation place. >> besides the drills you just mentioned in an emergency, what else can compare -- can parents, teachers and even kids, what -- what do they need to be doing? >> i think they need to trust the education that they have had. and to really go to the
11:56 am
procedures so that you are not making subjective decisions in a state of panic. the key is to understand we don't need to be living in a state of fear but we immediate to be -- reliving in a state of awareness and preparation. >> you know, yesterday, any time anything like this happens, in a school especially, there are folks that start calling for metal detectors. would that make a tremendous difference? >> i think you have to look at every school and look at the idiosyncrasies, unique virnlt of every school and trust it to the school to know what their greatest risks and challenges are. because everybody is going to be different and they are dealing with different environments. and what we are seeing now is as a part of evacuation procedures, really emergency management procedures, that schools are doing an assess many of what their risks are, greatest threats, and how can they manage those threats and mitt game them. >> thank you so much. appreciate your time.
11:57 am
we will take you back to the latest into what happened inside of sandy hook elementary school yesterday. we are again waiting for a possible news conference at some point. at some point we are going to be given the names of all of the victims from yesterday. we are also expecting to hear from the governor of connecticut. we will bring all of it to you live when it happens right here on msnbc. [ female announcer ] what does the anti-aging power of olay total effects plus the perfecting color of a bb cream equal? introducing the newest beauty trend. total effects cc cream c for color. c for correction. [ female announcer ] fight 7 signs of aging flawlessly. cc what's possible.
11:58 am
for thos...this...ions of doing this... flawlessly. ...and this, dancing in their heads... ...we have these. home depot gift cards. give the gift of doing, in-store or online.
11:59 am